Challenge

As a national brand VSP had difficulty competing with the locally based “bring the donuts” brokers

In some markets VSP’s plans are priced higher than competition so communicating the value proposition was essential

Besting the local competition and increasing broker adoption

VSP typically works with employer groups with up to 1,000 employees. The company’s internal sales team has two teams of reps, each focused on either the eastern or western region of the United States.

Sales collateral and the telephone have long-been the go-to tools for VSP’s sales reps to communicate with brokers. But the team often found it hard to compete with regional vision plans with locally based “bring the donuts” brokers who can schedule in-person sales meetings with prospects on short notice. In many markets, VSP is also one of the most expensive vision plans, so it is imperative for sales teams to quickly and clearly communicate the value proposition of choosing VSP.

“We’d leave voicemails, and send PDFs to brokers, but we had no idea if we were moving the dial,” said Patrick McClelland, Vice President of Commercial Accounts at VSP Vision Care. “We needed to find a way to make our collateral pop and understand if and how brokers were interacting with our sales materials. So, we decided to work with ClearSlide.”

Solution

Present to brokers on the fly – with messages that resonate

With ClearSlide, VSP’s sales reps can give compelling sales presentations to brokers at a moment’s notice, instead of scheduling a WebEx meeting. “WebEx meetings were so cumbersome,” said Kal Sanghera, Senior Account Executive at VSP Vision Care. “Now, I can simply say, ‘Give me two minutes,’ tell the broker how to login, and launch the presentation. The whole process is so much faster, and helps to shorten our sales cycle.”

The visibility that ClearSlide provides into how prospects are engaging with emails and live pitches has been “huge” for VSP, according to Sanghera. Sales reps now know when, how and if brokers are interacting with collateral, and what messages are resonating. This insight helps them tailor their sales approach for follow-up calls. The ability to reach out to brokers in specific markets with targeted email campaigns on short notice is another advantage.

Even more important, however, is the sale team’s enhanced ability to educate brokers about the value of VSP. “Being able to point and click and show brokers things that they may otherwise overlook is helping us to communicate the real value of the program,” Sanghera said. “We can educate them so they can educate their members and hopefully, increase sales.”

ClearSlide’s ease of use allowed reps to get prospects in front of VSP’s collateral in a moments notice

The majority of VSP’s business is voluntary,” McClelland said. “So, after we secure a new account, I now make a point to get the HR contact and the broker on a ClearSlide presentation with me to walk through the benefit. Helping the HR person understand the value of our program helps them to communicate that value effectively to their employees. It can make all the difference in whether we see 50 percent enrollment or 20 percent enrollment at a company. We’ve really taken off with this strategy this year, and ClearSlide is right in the middle of it.

Patrick McClelland
VP Commercial Accounts

Result

Increased sales, member enrollment and broker adoption

Since 2014, VSP’s sales are increasing, and so, too, is the rate of broker adoption. McClelland said he attributes both trends to the sales team’s use of ClearSlide. He also sees ClearSlide having a positive impact on member enrollment.

Increased sales and increased rate of broker adoption

A rise in member enrollment

Company

The largest not-for-profit vision care company in the United States

VSP Vision Care’s core mission is summarized concisely in its tagline: “We help people to see.” The US $4.5 billion-dollar company, based in Rancho Cordova, Calif., offers vision insurance and plans to businesses and individuals. Founded in 1955 by a group of optometrists committed to providing people high-quality, cost-effective eyecare benefits, VSP today has more than 72 million members and a network of over 32,000 eye doctors in the United States, and a growing international business, VSP Global.